#RefashionFriday Pearl Dress to Curved Hem Sweater

Happy Friday! I am so ready for the weekend – maybe because we have a friend’s birthday tonight and tomorrow Drew and I have a few houses to see, or maybe because the weekend just feels like a happy time. Whatever the reason, Friday means another #RefashionFriday!

Today’s refashion has been in my stash for a few months. I found it during a thrifting haul and it was another one of those, “no one else is ever going to want this” pieces, but it was too interesting to leave behind. This dress is from clothing designer “Hearts”, and still had it’s original retail hang tag on! Whatever decade this was from, it was worth $89.99 in it’s day. But with massive shoulder pads and outdated look, I scored it for $3.99.

When I pulled this out, I had my mind set on making something casual, as I need a few more tops in my wardrobe. As I’ve mentioned before, dresses are rare in my everyday wear, and I’m trying really hard to not wear pajamas on my sewing days (it makes me feel lazy!). On another thrifting trip, I found this amazing poncho-like sweater that I fell in love with and wore all during my November vacation in California. I loved the curved hem and decided to copy that detail in my new top. Here’s the result!

Today’s Refashioning Tip: Use Ready to Wear clothes as patterns! There are a few bloggers who do this often (Refashionista anyone), and it is a great way to upcycle, especially if you are looking to copy something you know works well for your body type.

I traced the curve from the original top to the dress and was able to use that cut line for cutting out my ribbed knit material. I cut a hem band of 3″ but added a little more to the ends. Since I’ve never made a curved hem before, it came out a little awkward but I was able to trim away the access fabric.

While the dress said it was size 13/14, I didn’t need to resize the body at all! I have no idea why this dress was sized so large, because it definitely felt like a 6/8.

To make the sleeves, I measured 8″ to cut off from the hems, cut, then attached a 3″ ribbed knit band to the end. I reshaped the sleeve top and shoulder seam to fit better, then reattached. I also took in the sleeve for the ribbed knit to fit secure around my arm.

I had a lot of material left over from this refashion, which is not typical for me and I didn’t want to throw it in my scrap bin. So I followed this awesome tutorial and made myself a hat! I’m generally not a hat person, they never look good on me but I figured out the trick: make my own! I was able to control the height and shape and this hat looks so much better than ready to wear ones I’ve tried on. I still have a little fabric left over, so maybe a pair of matching mittens are next on the sewing list?

Interesting thing about this top, the pearls have a metal backing and man are they cold against your skin! The first time I put this on for the “before” photos, I didn’t know why my body felt like it was tingling… those little backs were a surprise!

Inspiration:

While this was the final result, I definitely had other ideas racing through my mind. If you follow me on Instagram (@trishstitched) you saw this dress last week – and maybe even commented on it! I asked the insta community what they would do with this dress and got some fun ideas. And for today’s inspiration, I found RTW apparel that relates to the ideas Instagram had! I’m a very visual person and like to do my research before making any cuts, but you can see how this one dress could transform into any of these pieces!

It is so cool to see how different people interpret an item! This piece had a lot of potential, because there was a good amount of fabric. One commenter even suggested making something where you won’t be sitting on a pearl, which is something I didn’t even consider (and in all honesty, would annoy me)! What option would you have made?

It’s great getting another opinion, and if you are stuck on a garment, hashtag #Refashionfriday and I’ll help you out! Have you done a recent refashion? Send photos and details to trish@trishstitched.com to be featured! And follow along my refashioning finds through Pinterest!